Manufacture of ethyl alcohol



Patented Oct. 23, 1934 MANUFACTURE OF ETHYL ALCOHOL Walter Philip Joshua, London, Herbert Muggleton Stanley, Tadworth, and John Blair Dymock, Cheam, England, assignors to The Distillers Company Limited, Edinburgh,

British company No Drawing.

Scotland, a

Application January 11, 1933, Serial No. 651,223. In Great Britain March 22,

7 Claims.

The present invention relates to the production of ethyl alcohol by the direct combination of ethylene with water vapor.

It is well known that water vapor and ethylene will combine with the formation of ethyl alcohol at high temperatures and without the presence of substances having a catalytic effect on the reaction but the amount of conversion is negligible. A number of catalysts have been proposed for use in this reaction such as for example thoria or phosphoric acid on charcoal.

According to the present invention ethylene and water vapor are caused to combine at high temperatures at atmospheric or increased pressures in the presence of catalysts compounded from phosphoric acid with cobaltous cobalt, the amount of phosphoric acid present in the catalyst being in excess of that required to form the orthophosphate of cobalt, but not in excess of about 95 per cent. of the catalyst composition.

The catalyst so compounded may be used as such in the solid state in the form of granules, pellets, tablets, and so forth or may be supported on or admixed with inert carriers, but excluding silicious compounds, or the carriers may be impregnated with the catalyst in fluid form and used in such condition or may be subsequently dried. In the case of those compositions of catalyst in which the latter becomes fluid under the operating conditions it may be used in that form, and

in such case ethylene and water vapor may be passed through the catalyst. The catalyst may be used alone or in conjunction with other materials known to have a favorable catalytic effect on the combination of steam and ethylene.

The reaction may be carried out at temperatures from 100 to 300 C., but we prefer to use temperatures above 150 C. Atmospheric pressure may be employed or increased pressures up to 250 atmospheres, but we prefer to use pressures not exceeding 100 atmospheres.

In carrying out the operation a mixture of ethylene and steam in suitable proportions is brought into contact with the catalyst and the resultant vapors are thereafter condensed to seperate the ethyl alcohol produced together with unchanged Water vapor, and the unchanged ethylene is returned to be re-treated.

r The catalyst may be prepared by treating with to mixtures of ethylene with gases which are not reactive under the conditions of the process, e. g. ethane, methane and the like.

The following examples illustrate the manner in which the invention may be carried into effect and the nature of the results obtained:-

Example I A catalyst was prepared consisting of 2.5 mols. phosphoric acid per mol. of cobaltous oxide. Over 100 cc. of this catalyst at a temperature of 200 0. there was passed ethylene at the rate of 3.12 litres per hour measured at N. T. P. in admixture with 1.5 times its volume of steam. When working under atmospheric pressure conditions the conversion of ethylene to ethanol was 0.6 per cent.

Example II Using the same catalyst as in Example I, but working under a total pressure of 20 atmospheres the volume of ethylene measured at N. T. P. passing per hour over the 100 cc. of catalyst maintained at 270 C. was 400 litres and it was mixed with steam in the molarproportions of 4 mols. ethylene to 1 mol. steam. The conversion of ethylene to ethanol was 0.38 per cent. and the hourly output of alcohol was 3.18 grams. The alcohol was obtained in the form of a 4.76% distillate.

What we claim is:- v

1. The production of ethyl alcohol comprising directly combining ethylene with water vapor at elevated temperature in the presence of a catalyst compounded from phosphoric acid and cobaltous cobalt, the amount of phosphoric acid present in the catalyst being in excess of that required to form the ortho-phosphate of cobalt but not in excess of about 95 per cent. of the composition.

2. The production of ethyl alcohol according to claim 1, in which the operating temperature employed lies between 100 C. and 300 C.

3. The production of ethyl alcohol according to claim 1, in which the operating pressure is atmospheric.

4. The production of ethyl alcohol according to claim 1, in which the pressure employed is super-atmospheric up to about 100 atmospheres.

5. The production of ethyl alcohol according to claim 1, in which the ethylene used is in admixture with a gaseous medium that is not reactive under the operating conditions.

6. The method of producing ethyl alcohol comprising combining ethylene with water vapor in the presence of a catalyst compounded from phosphoric acid and cobaltous cobalt in order to form the orthophosphate of cobalt, the amount of cobaltous orthophosphate of cobalt, the amount of phosphoric acid present in the catalyst being in excess of the stoichiometric amount and not in excess of about 95% of the composition.

WALTER PHILIP JOSHUA. HERBERT MUGGLETON STANLEY. JOHN BLAIR DYMOCK. 

